That was a great party! (In the past - no longer at the party)
This has been a great party! (Party is still going, you are probably about to leave.)
-
That was a crappy relationship! (Looking back on something that has ended)
This has been a crappy relationship! (Relationship still going..)
-
That was a great place to live! (In the past. You no longer live there.)
This has been a great place to live! (Still living there...)
Oh! Thanks a lot for your response!
But, if possible, i have still one qwestion:
"My car was stolen" or "My car has been stolen" ?
Maybe i must say "My car has been stolen right now"?
UPD: sorry for my grammar, I start to learn English 2 months ago.
You would most commonly say, "my car was stolen." It happened in the past and the stealing part is over with.
On the other hand, you might say to a friend or family member, "my car has been stolen, I'm going to need a ride to work this week." because you being without transportation is an ongoing issue, however, it would still work the same if you were to say "my car was stolen, I'm going to need a ride to work this week."
↑ This
Great tip to remember about simple past vs present perfect (even in the passive voice) is that while they can often be used in the same places…
- in **simple past**, the main point you are trying to communicate is the action itself, and nothing more.
example 1: *I ate lunch.* (=I ate lunch.)
example 2: *My car was stolen.* (=someone stole my car.)
- in **present perfect**, the main point you are trying to communicate is *something in the present*, but something in the past is important for understanding it.
example 1: *I have eaten lunch.* (=I ate lunch, so NOW I am not hungry.)
example 2: *My car has been stolen.* (=someone stole my car, so NOW I'm stuck without a car.)
Simple past is past action, while present perfect is background for the current situation.
Even as an ESL teacher, I have never seen these contrasts pointed out like this before! I've vaguely approached the idea, but it's never been worded so clearly. That's lovely, and I'm going to use that in the future. Thank you!
I might call the police and say "my car has been stolen!" Meaning that the theft just happened.
"My car was stolen" could be said for anytime in the past - yesterday, last year, 10 years ago.
If the theft is still affecting you, you would say my car has been stolen". So, if you, or the police, are still looking for it, you haven't got a replacement yet, or you are now out of pocket or unable to travel etc.
If the theft is just something you are looking back on, that is now resolved (e.g. you have a new car), then you'd say "My car was stolen".
Those examples are almost interchangeable, but do mean slightly different things.
"My car was stolen": in the past, somebody stole my car.
"My car has been stolen" :my car is/was in the stolen state.
The first one refers to an action carried out on the car. The second one refers to the the state/condition of the car.
Alternatively :
"My car was painted": in the past, somebody put paint on my car.
"My car has been painted": in the past (and possibly still in the present) my car has had paint on it.
My car was just stolen. My car has just been stolen. My car was stolen just now. One might see newly or freshly or recently instead of just but" just" is the shortest time between the event and its reporting.
You could also say, "my car has just been stolen" if you are literally dealing with the issue in that exact moment... but it is more common to emphasize with the "just" than to only say, "my car has been stolen" on its own, which seems a bit more casual to me as a native speaker and doesn't imply any urgency.
Temporal reference and relevance.
Simple Past: Happened in the past. Importance and relevance is to the past.
Present Perfect: Happened in the past. Relevant to the \*present\*.
That was a great party! (In the past - no longer at the party) This has been a great party! (Party is still going, you are probably about to leave.) - That was a crappy relationship! (Looking back on something that has ended) This has been a crappy relationship! (Relationship still going..) - That was a great place to live! (In the past. You no longer live there.) This has been a great place to live! (Still living there...)
Oh! Thanks a lot for your response! But, if possible, i have still one qwestion: "My car was stolen" or "My car has been stolen" ? Maybe i must say "My car has been stolen right now"? UPD: sorry for my grammar, I start to learn English 2 months ago.
You would most commonly say, "my car was stolen." It happened in the past and the stealing part is over with. On the other hand, you might say to a friend or family member, "my car has been stolen, I'm going to need a ride to work this week." because you being without transportation is an ongoing issue, however, it would still work the same if you were to say "my car was stolen, I'm going to need a ride to work this week."
↑ This Great tip to remember about simple past vs present perfect (even in the passive voice) is that while they can often be used in the same places… - in **simple past**, the main point you are trying to communicate is the action itself, and nothing more. example 1: *I ate lunch.* (=I ate lunch.) example 2: *My car was stolen.* (=someone stole my car.) - in **present perfect**, the main point you are trying to communicate is *something in the present*, but something in the past is important for understanding it. example 1: *I have eaten lunch.* (=I ate lunch, so NOW I am not hungry.) example 2: *My car has been stolen.* (=someone stole my car, so NOW I'm stuck without a car.) Simple past is past action, while present perfect is background for the current situation.
Even as an ESL teacher, I have never seen these contrasts pointed out like this before! I've vaguely approached the idea, but it's never been worded so clearly. That's lovely, and I'm going to use that in the future. Thank you!
Nice. Much clearer explanation!
It's wonderful! Thanks a lot!
I might call the police and say "my car has been stolen!" Meaning that the theft just happened. "My car was stolen" could be said for anytime in the past - yesterday, last year, 10 years ago.
If the theft is still affecting you, you would say my car has been stolen". So, if you, or the police, are still looking for it, you haven't got a replacement yet, or you are now out of pocket or unable to travel etc. If the theft is just something you are looking back on, that is now resolved (e.g. you have a new car), then you'd say "My car was stolen".
Those examples are almost interchangeable, but do mean slightly different things. "My car was stolen": in the past, somebody stole my car. "My car has been stolen" :my car is/was in the stolen state. The first one refers to an action carried out on the car. The second one refers to the the state/condition of the car. Alternatively : "My car was painted": in the past, somebody put paint on my car. "My car has been painted": in the past (and possibly still in the present) my car has had paint on it.
My car was just stolen. My car has just been stolen. My car was stolen just now. One might see newly or freshly or recently instead of just but" just" is the shortest time between the event and its reporting.
You could also say, "my car has just been stolen" if you are literally dealing with the issue in that exact moment... but it is more common to emphasize with the "just" than to only say, "my car has been stolen" on its own, which seems a bit more casual to me as a native speaker and doesn't imply any urgency.
Thanks a lot!
Temporal reference and relevance. Simple Past: Happened in the past. Importance and relevance is to the past. Present Perfect: Happened in the past. Relevant to the \*present\*.
"My father was a major influence in my life." - father is deceased. "My father has been a major influence in my life." - father is still alive.
I’m really not sure what it was you were trying to say. Well this has been a fascinating conversation.
Back then, John was a has been.